The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is over the moon. Probably even they failed to anticipate the magnitude of the victory in Uttar Pradesh, the same that happened during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Here are some critical reactions from the BJP, given at press conferences and on Twitter.
“Spoke to @capt_amarinder & congratulated him on the win in Punjab. Also wished him a happy birthday & prayed for his long & healthy life.”
Rajnath Singh (Home Minister):
यह विजय नहीं महाविजय है. भाजपा ने उत्तर प्रदेश और उत्तराखंड में सफलता की नयीबुलंदियाँ छूकर देश की राजनीतिक तस्वीर बदल दी है
“This is not a victory but mega victory. By attaining new heights of success in UP and Uttarakhand, the BJP has changed the political landscape of the country.”
Amit Shah Verified account @AmitShah
यह जीत भाजपा की विचारधारा एवं प्रधानमंत्री श्री @NarendraModi जी की गरीब कल्याण योजनाओं और विकासशीलशासन में जनता के विश्वास की जीत है।
“This victory is people’s stamp on BJP’s ideology and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-poor development schemes.”
Shah had also tweeted:
“Uttar Pradesh me do tihai (two-thirds) bahumat se BJP ka vijay pataka pherane par sab hi kariyokartaon ko, Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modiji and Shri Keshav Prasad Maurya ko badhai.”
Smriti Irani (Textile minster):
(She said this during an interview with NDTV):
“It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administrative leadership, it is Amit Shah’s organisational skills, it is the karyakartas’ hard work in every constituency and it is the people’s faith in the development promise of the BJP that have resulted in this stunning victory… Not everyone is a Rahul Gandhi who is missing from his own constituency… Amitbhai looked at the details at the booth level. The saying that god is in the details worked in case of BJP. The Muslims themselves have given an indication that they can no longer be ignored on issues of development or be treated as a vote bank by voting emphatically on development issues for the BJP.”
Sambit Patra, official spokesperson, BJP
लोगों का विश्वास EVM से नहीं उठा हैं लोगों का विश्वास हाथि पर से उठ गया हैं।
“People have lost faith not in EVM but in the elephant symbol.”
Subramanian Swamy, BJP leader
“On March 21st I will go before SC and ask for early day to day hearing of the Ram Mandir case. I expect now UP govt will not oppose me.”
Kiran Bedi, Puducherry Governor
“Every Indian today wants good governance. Politicians who think they can buy votes by caste/creed divisions or false assurances won’t work..”
“Gr8 effort by all @BJP4India workers 4 this phenomenal victory….people have apprecited the work done by@narendramodi ji & @AmitShah ji”
Chandan Mitra, BJP MP
“Except the top leaders, no more knows who will be UP Chief Minister. Amit Shah will pull out a rabbit from the hat.”
Mohsin Raza: “It was a vote for change, a vote of trust. People cast their votes leaving aside religion and caste politics.
“We have to fulfil the faith people have posed in us. We can’t break the faith people have reposed in us.”
Anila SIngh: “The way corruption has become rampant. It’s important to open files to set an example. This was our promise, to give them a transparent government.
“I am happy at the blessings that the up voters have given us. The electorate has taught them a benign lesson. It is time they accept it with grace.
—Written with contributions from Sujit Bhar, Meha Mathur,
Sucheta Dasgupta, Prabir Biswas, Punit Mishra, Bhavana Gaur,
Kh Manglembi Devi, Ram Lagan, Amitava Sen and Anthony Lawrence